Of Broken Promises
by mokamon
Summary: It wasn't fair. This journey was supposed to be about salvation...not sacrifice.  All the things he had said...all the promises he'd made... Why couldn't he keep  even one of them?


**Hey! :D Got another...somethin' somethin' for you guys. After reading the first few paragraphs, you _should_ be able to tell what story inspired me to write this (if you read freakyanimegal's stuff, anyways). It's a wonderful idea and I really wanted to take a shot at it and I had _loads_ of fun~ I have no idea where I'm going with this story, or if I'll actually keep going with it at all, but what the hell. Might as well give you guys something, right? I may get ideas later, this may just sit here forever as is. WHO KNOWS XD**

**JUST FOR WARNING YOU**

**There's a character...death. (yeah, let's go with that). You have no idea how hard it was to write about them dying TT_TT**

**And URGH I'm sorry it's short D8 I wanted to write more, but at a certain point it started to drag and the story was screaming at me to stop. **

**OH WELL. LET'S SEE HOW THIS GOES**

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><p><em>There <em>_are __four __questions __of __value __in __life... __What __is __sacred? __Of __what __is __the __spirit __made?__ What __is __worth __living __for, __and __what __is __worth __dying __for? __The __answer __to __each __is __the __same. __Only __love._  
>~Johnny Depp<p>

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><p>The sharp intake of breath and the clattering of two swords on the cold floor held everyone's heart. The tightening grip around their souls was traumatizing; they never knew such pain before. All of them froze, unable to think, unable to breathe...unable to live. No one dared to move, dared to blink. If they didn't do anything, maybe it wasn't real...? Maybe they could all just pretend it was just a strange, terrifying hallucination brought on by fear, guilt, and over all stress.<p>

He himself was certain, more certain than he ever had been of anything in his life, that this wasn't a trick of the mind. The piercing pain shooting through his chest was evidence enough for his speculation; hallucinations do not cause pains. Not pains that made him want to cry - cry for his long past mother, or cry for his missing father. He'd even settle for crying for a nonexistent Goddess, anything to let his pain be known, for someone to _help_! His normal brave front was gone, as if he had never been courageous once in his life. Horrified brown eyes slowly drifted towards the hot blade that had cut through his body. Its normal purple glow was blocked by the red blood that flowed out from his wound, taking away the nobility of the sword.

The man holding the sword's hilt stood before him, a menacing smirk on his angelic features. The blond angel sauntered backwards, as if he were showing off to everyone around him that he had just done the impossible without a second thought. His green eyes had a cruel glint of humor to them that made it even harder for the boy to breathe.

"I told you _dog_," the leader of the worlds spat at him. "You will not get in the way of resurrecting Martel. Your little friend will be the new body for Martel."

Lloyd tried to come up with a coherent word...something to save the girl without her soul. He couldn't breathe...all that came out was a strangled gasp, followed by a cough that spat out even more blood... This wasn't supposed to happen... He was-! He promised to keep her safe-! He promised to not let anything happen to her-!

"Cole..." his voice was raspy, cut off by his coughing. Agh...it was so painful to breathe. It was painful to move... Ignoring the pain erupting and traveling through his torso, he took a tentative step towards the blond girl-

Only to have his knees give out on him and send him crashing to the ground, resting on his shins.

He tried not to struggle for his breath – it hurt so _damn_ much – as he sat down on his heels.

The spiteful sneer from the angel was in front of his face, "Seems your words like to run away without you, human." Yggdrasill's voice seemed to echo around the room like a thunder crack, every time he spoke. But the tone of his voice...it seemed as though the angel spoke as if he were talking of blue skies. He turned to look over his shoulder, "You should have kept a tighter leash on your pup, Kratos."

The air in him left in a rush, replaced by panic when the sword was quickly pulled from his lung. Hold in the breath...wasn't that what Raine had told him? She was always worried he'd stab him self with his swords...

"No..." There was a quiet noise behind him. Lloyd could barely hear the whisper. He couldn't tell where it had come from, who had whispered it... That small, weak voice made him happy, though. He would have sighed a breath of relief hearing that some one was alive after that battle - if he didn't have a gaping hole in his left lung at the moment that is. They hadn't lasted very long against the leader of Cruxis. Yggdrasill's magic and angelic powers almost seemed...cheating to Lloyd, as if they were destined to loose that battle. All of his friends were thrown around as rag dolls, him as well. The only reason he was up on the platform with the three angels was because he had forced himself to – he _had_ to save Colette...

Everything around him started to blur, black was covering his sight...

No! He couldn't-! He needed to protect Colette! And Genis-!

_Genis!_

Grabbing the empty spot on his chest, Lloyd looked over his shoulder, searching for his little brother.

Lying on the ground, between the two other party members who also looked broken, was the little mage who was hardly conscious and only _just_ holding his own life by a thread. The boy's normally bright and intelligent ice blue eyes were wide and fearful staring teary-eyed at him, not noticing how weak he looked at that moment. Lloyd could see fear, pain, loss...but more than anything, Lloyd saw how...young the poor boy seemed (Lloyd hated seeing how much of a _child_ his brother really was. He forgot that Genis was only twelve most the time, considering how damn smart the boy was). The teen wanted to make sure his little brother would live. If he couldn't save his little sister, he'd save his little brother - older brothers were supposed to do that, weren't they? Genis was living...those eyes told him so... They were the same blue they'd always been, just...a bit less cheerful...

"No...!" This time Genis shouted, his voice cracking painfully and urgently. "_Lloyd_...! You can't-! Get up!" The poor boy was screaming, and tears were rushing from his pitiful eyes. "We're supposed to go back and rebuild Iselia! _You __promised! It was supposed to be t__he __three __of __us! __Lloyd! __Colette!__"_

"Come, Kratos," Yggdrasill, ignoring the screaming pleas from the young boy as though he were an annoying bird, walked over to Colette, and put a hand softly to her shoulder. "I trust you have no issues with this development. We must prepare for Martel immediately."

Lloyd, with the little strength he had, looked for the traitor mercenary that he used to see as his own older brother...

Weren't older brothers supposed to protect their younger siblings?

Brown eyes locked on to wine-red. Surprisingly, Kratos did not have a smirk reflecting his Lord's own. Kratos didn't have an ounce of humor on his face. Why was that? Shouldn't he...have been laughing...? He fooled Lloyd into thinking he was a great man - Kratos taught him so much - for months, just for this! Why was he...? Why did he-?

Why did the man look ready to fall apart...?

"Kratos?" Yggdrasill's voice boomed across the room again, curious as to why his old teacher wasn't responding to him. "Leave the wretched thing to die. You did so once, you are capable of doing it a second time..." That malicious smirk had found its way back to the angel's face. This time, though, it was for Kratos only...

"A second...?" What? What did he mean by that? That made no sense - Kratos had never before this moment abandoned him. Unless various times around towns counted, but Lloyd didn't think that would count...or that Yggdrasill even knew if those moments when they split up to finish shopping quicker. "Kra-"

He was using too much of his strength. Gasping and gripping his chest, he doubled over, falling to his side on the ground into a sea of red... So much red surrounded him... and it wasn't from his comforting red sweater his father had made him so long ago for his birthday...

He was scared...he had broken his promise to Colette, he couldn't protect her... He couldn't be the best big brother to Genis... He couldn't be a better student for Raine... He couldn't get Sheena home... Lloyd couldn't even keep his promise to Kratos to not die.

This wasn't the purpose of this journey. The reason was so they could live longer, happier lives. It was so they could all grow old together, watching their own children play and grow. Why... ?

Why was the real purpose of this journey only death?

_"Lloyd..."_

Someone whose voice he couldn't recall had called for him, to will him to be strong just by calling his ever courageous name... Behind pleading screams from his little brother, mother-teacher and older _almost_-sister, was a cruel, indifferent laugh from the corrupt angel who made Lloyd break every promise he had made on the journey.

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><p><strong>OH GOD. LLOYD DX I'M SO SORRY<strong>

**...This would be considered a cliff-hanger, wouldn't it? 8D**

**This was the first time I wrote Yggy, and I gotta say, it was fun~ Can't wait to do it in my selfinsert (yes I'm still working on that, the next chapter should be up soon actually) ****ANYWAYS. Leave a review? It'll help me decide if I really should go somewhere with this or just glance at it on my odd free moments in life.**


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